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It's 1930 . . . and Ruby Quinlan lives in a big house in Adelaide with her parents and her fox terrier, Baxter. As she gets ready for her twelfth birthday party, Ruby has never been happier. But the world she knows is collapsing, and people everywhere are losing their jobs and their homes. Soon Ruby's comfortable life falls apart in ways she could never have imagined . . .

Meet Ruby and join her adventure in the first of four stories about a happy-go-lucky girl in a time of great change.

127 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

2 people are currently reading
61 people want to read

About the author

Penny Matthews

37 books11 followers

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5 stars
28 (38%)
4 stars
18 (25%)
3 stars
21 (29%)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Chloe Collings.
1 review
March 25, 2018
Ruby lives in a nice house in Adelaide. her life is normal and happy until the depression came and her father lost his job. she has to face a different life style.

'meet Ruby' is a great book for girls that like history. Ruby is a happy girl. I recommend this book to girls of all ages.
Profile Image for Bill.
Author 92 books28 followers
March 13, 2016

This was a pleasure to read. Historical details were woven seamlessly through the story without ever being-heavy handed. The writing was clear and clean and obviously great care went into it. The story flowed beautifully and Ruby and her family and friends were all made to seem very real and credible. Reading this would be an excellent way for a child to learn about what it was like in Australia at the start of the Great Depression. But even if you're not a child, I think you'll like meeting Ruby.
Profile Image for Sally.
Author 23 books141 followers
September 13, 2016
Ruby lives in Adelaide and is very well-off... until the Great Depression hits and her father loses it all, forcing him to sell their house (to Ruby's "worst enemy" Brenda's family, ick!) and move the family to the country to live with Ruby's boring cousin and her grouchy family...
Profile Image for Helen.
142 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2015
A great read. It's so good to read true facts about the depression in Australia (or, better yet, my home city of Adelaide) rather than that in America.
A light, fun read for youngsters who don't even realise they're learning.
Fantastic series Penguin!
426 reviews8 followers
October 3, 2015
Another great entry in the OAG series. This is a beautifully written, taking a potentially bland story and turning it into an riveting read. The characters are realistically drawn and the Adelaide setting, which we know so well, was an unexpected bonus for us.
Profile Image for Heidi.
868 reviews
August 22, 2022
Enjoying the second series about the Great Depression.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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